On the importance of primary and community healthcare in relation to global health and environmental threats: lessons from the COVID-19 crisis

In the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become clear that primary healthcare systems play a critical role in clinical care, such as patient screening, triage, physical and psychological support and also in promoting good community advice and awareness in coordination with secondary healthcare...

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Main Authors: Catherine Bouland, Martie van Tongeren, Fabrizio Bianchi, Paolo Lauriola, Piedad Martín-Olmedo, Giovanni S. Leonardi, Robert Verheij, Michel L A Dückers, Ferdinando Laghi, Peter van den Hazel, Ozden Gokdemir, Evelyn Segredo, Ruth A Etzel, Alan Abelsohn, Roberto Romizi, Giuseppe Miserotti, Francesco Romizi, Paolo Bortolotti, Emanuele Vinci, Guido Giustetto, Mariagrazia Santamaria, Alice Serafini, Samantha Pegoraro, Raymond Agius, Ariana Zeka
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2021-03-01
Series:BMJ Global Health
Online Access:https://gh.bmj.com/content/6/3/e004111.full
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author Catherine Bouland
Martie van Tongeren
Fabrizio Bianchi
Paolo Lauriola
Piedad Martín-Olmedo
Giovanni S. Leonardi
Robert Verheij
Michel L A Dückers
Ferdinando Laghi
Peter van den Hazel
Ozden Gokdemir
Evelyn Segredo
Ruth A Etzel
Alan Abelsohn
Roberto Romizi
Giuseppe Miserotti
Francesco Romizi
Paolo Bortolotti
Emanuele Vinci
Guido Giustetto
Mariagrazia Santamaria
Alice Serafini
Samantha Pegoraro
Raymond Agius
Ariana Zeka
author_facet Catherine Bouland
Martie van Tongeren
Fabrizio Bianchi
Paolo Lauriola
Piedad Martín-Olmedo
Giovanni S. Leonardi
Robert Verheij
Michel L A Dückers
Ferdinando Laghi
Peter van den Hazel
Ozden Gokdemir
Evelyn Segredo
Ruth A Etzel
Alan Abelsohn
Roberto Romizi
Giuseppe Miserotti
Francesco Romizi
Paolo Bortolotti
Emanuele Vinci
Guido Giustetto
Mariagrazia Santamaria
Alice Serafini
Samantha Pegoraro
Raymond Agius
Ariana Zeka
author_sort Catherine Bouland
collection DOAJ
description In the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become clear that primary healthcare systems play a critical role in clinical care, such as patient screening, triage, physical and psychological support and also in promoting good community advice and awareness in coordination with secondary healthcare and preventive care. Because of the role of social and environmental factors in COVID-19 transmission and burden of disease, it is essential to ensure that there is adequate coordination of population-based health services and public health interventions. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the primary and community healthcare (P&CHC) system’s weaknesses worldwide. In many instances, P&CHC played only a minor role, the emphasis being on hospital and intensive care beds. This was compounded by political failures, in supporting local community resilience. Placing community building, social cohesion and resilience at the forefront of dealing with the COVID-19 crisis can help align solutions that provide a vision of ‘planetary health’. This can be achieved by involving local well-being and participation in the face of any pervasive health and environmental crisis, including other epidemics and large-scale ecological crises. This paper proposes that P&CHC should take on two critical roles: first, to support local problem-solving efforts and to serve as a partner in innovative approaches to safeguarding community well-being; and second, to understand the local environment and health risks in the context of the global health perspective. We see this as an opportunity of immediate value and broad consequence beyond the control of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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spelling doaj-art-61b6d8f7b2a84b40b4b8f2e51ed059262024-12-03T14:30:09ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Global Health2059-79082021-03-016310.1136/bmjgh-2020-004111On the importance of primary and community healthcare in relation to global health and environmental threats: lessons from the COVID-19 crisisCatherine Bouland0Martie van Tongeren1Fabrizio Bianchi2Paolo Lauriola3Piedad Martín-Olmedo4Giovanni S. Leonardi5Robert Verheij6Michel L A Dückers7Ferdinando Laghi8Peter van den Hazel9Ozden Gokdemir10Evelyn Segredo11Ruth A Etzel12Alan Abelsohn13Roberto Romizi14Giuseppe Miserotti15Francesco Romizi16Paolo Bortolotti17Emanuele Vinci18Guido Giustetto19Mariagrazia Santamaria20Alice Serafini21Samantha Pegoraro22Raymond Agius23Ariana Zeka24ULB-Ecole de Santé Publique, Bruxelles, Belgium4 Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UKepidemiologist and registry leaderInternational Society of Doctors for the Environment (ISDE-Italy), Modena, ItalyEscuela Andaluza de Salud Pública, Granada, SpainDepartment of Public Health, Environments and Society, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UKNetherlands Institute for Health Services Research (NIVEL), Utrecht, The NetherlandsNetherlands Institute for Health Services Research (NIVEL), Utrecht, The NetherlandsInternational Society of Doctors for the Environment (ISDE-Int’l), Geneva, SwitzerlandInternational Network on Children’s Health, Environment and Safety (INCHES), Ellecom, The NetherlandsFaculty of Medicine, Izmir University of Economics, Balçova/Izmir, TurkeyUruguayan Society of Family and Community Medicine, Montevideo, UruguayMilken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USADepartment of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaInternational Society of Doctors for the Environment (ISDE-Italy), Arezzo, ItalyInternational Society of Doctors for the Environment (ISDE-Italy), Piacenza, ItalyInternational Society of Doctors for the Environment (ISDE-Italy), Arezzo, ItalyMedical Order Trento, Trento, ItalyHealth and Environment Working Group, National Medical Orders Federation, Rome, ItalyNational Medical Orders Federation, Rome, ItalyLocal Health Authority, Foggia, ItalyDepartment of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, ItalyItalian Climate Network, Milano, ItalyCentre for Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UKassociate professorIn the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become clear that primary healthcare systems play a critical role in clinical care, such as patient screening, triage, physical and psychological support and also in promoting good community advice and awareness in coordination with secondary healthcare and preventive care. Because of the role of social and environmental factors in COVID-19 transmission and burden of disease, it is essential to ensure that there is adequate coordination of population-based health services and public health interventions. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the primary and community healthcare (P&CHC) system’s weaknesses worldwide. In many instances, P&CHC played only a minor role, the emphasis being on hospital and intensive care beds. This was compounded by political failures, in supporting local community resilience. Placing community building, social cohesion and resilience at the forefront of dealing with the COVID-19 crisis can help align solutions that provide a vision of ‘planetary health’. This can be achieved by involving local well-being and participation in the face of any pervasive health and environmental crisis, including other epidemics and large-scale ecological crises. This paper proposes that P&CHC should take on two critical roles: first, to support local problem-solving efforts and to serve as a partner in innovative approaches to safeguarding community well-being; and second, to understand the local environment and health risks in the context of the global health perspective. We see this as an opportunity of immediate value and broad consequence beyond the control of the COVID-19 pandemic.https://gh.bmj.com/content/6/3/e004111.full
spellingShingle Catherine Bouland
Martie van Tongeren
Fabrizio Bianchi
Paolo Lauriola
Piedad Martín-Olmedo
Giovanni S. Leonardi
Robert Verheij
Michel L A Dückers
Ferdinando Laghi
Peter van den Hazel
Ozden Gokdemir
Evelyn Segredo
Ruth A Etzel
Alan Abelsohn
Roberto Romizi
Giuseppe Miserotti
Francesco Romizi
Paolo Bortolotti
Emanuele Vinci
Guido Giustetto
Mariagrazia Santamaria
Alice Serafini
Samantha Pegoraro
Raymond Agius
Ariana Zeka
On the importance of primary and community healthcare in relation to global health and environmental threats: lessons from the COVID-19 crisis
BMJ Global Health
title On the importance of primary and community healthcare in relation to global health and environmental threats: lessons from the COVID-19 crisis
title_full On the importance of primary and community healthcare in relation to global health and environmental threats: lessons from the COVID-19 crisis
title_fullStr On the importance of primary and community healthcare in relation to global health and environmental threats: lessons from the COVID-19 crisis
title_full_unstemmed On the importance of primary and community healthcare in relation to global health and environmental threats: lessons from the COVID-19 crisis
title_short On the importance of primary and community healthcare in relation to global health and environmental threats: lessons from the COVID-19 crisis
title_sort on the importance of primary and community healthcare in relation to global health and environmental threats lessons from the covid 19 crisis
url https://gh.bmj.com/content/6/3/e004111.full
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